Electric signal control.



PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.-

- M. ABT.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26. 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHBET l.

m B u 0 L7 L. 5% m INVENTOH M715: 27:19:12 23.62

wmwgo ATTORNEYS 110184637; PATENTED MAR. 55. 1907.

M. ABT. ELECTRIC SIGNAL CONTROL.

A-PPLIGATIOfi FILED MAR. 26, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES" ilfcai/ ewa i- By M 60 T10 ATTORNEYS PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907. M. ABT. ELECTRIC SIGNAL CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2a, 1906.

4 sums-anams.

m Way/4% /NVEN70H klfaiizemxiz i A TTOHNE rs M THEW ABT; or NEW roan, N. Y

ELECTRIC SEGNAL CoN'rsoL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application-filed Marci; 26 1906; Serial No, 308.031.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, Marnnw ABT, a citizen of the United States, and .a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in

the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric Signal Control, of which the following is a lull, clear,

and exact description.

Myiinvention'r'elates to electric-signal conm, trols, and ,more particularly to a system for use in connection with elevators for the purpose of enabling passengers to hail cars and for app 'sing passengers of the approach of 'saidcars; Y I

' -In-most of the systems heretofore used each car' immediately before arriving at a .fioor upon which a passenger has given a 81g".

nal causes alam'p upon that fioor to flash,-

for an instant only, in order to apprise the passengerof'the approach of-the car. -By my system, however, when a passenger gives the proper signal'to hail a car he causes the latter, whether descending or ascending, to

. light lamps and to-maintain them luminous until the arrival of the car. In my system,

. as in other systems, a signal given by the pas senger will have the effect, of hailing any car traveling in the proper direction in cases where there are'a number of cars otherwise independent of each other.

Reference'is tohe had to the accompany ing'drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

5 Figure l'is a central verticalsec'tien showing 'one of the automatic switchboards say Ataken upon the line 1 1 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow and the gear mechanism whereby this switchboard is operated by the movements of one of the elevatorsheaves. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of this same switchboard, showing the relative arrangement of the rocking sectors used for successively opening and closing the various I 5 signaling-circuits, the several movable parts being in the positions they occupy when the elevator-car is at the bottom and is -us't start 'ing upward. Fig. 3 is another front elevation of the same device, but showing the mov- 56 able parts in the positions they occupy when the elevator-car is at the top of building and starting downward: Fig..; l -.is an chlarged fragmentary section upon tihellpe 414 of Fig. ZloOkingin the" ection of the-arnow I r 7/ 5 5 and showing the detallsof the'- conta ct'mech anism 1n the switchboard; Fig 5, is a cen-.

car.

tral section through one of the push-buttons used upon the diflere'nt floors or landings and operated at the will of the passengers. Big. 6 is another central section through one of these push-buttons, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a diagram of the wiring as used in' a building containing two elevators and having in this ins tance tv 0 floors.

. The several switchhoardsAB are all ex actlyalike, and eachrepresents a distinct elevator-shaft having a single car. 'lhe two floors represented inthe diagram Figl 7 may he considered the fourth and hfth floors of an eight-story building. "I he pushbuttons C Ears used by passengers upon the respective fourth and hfthfioors for indicat-' ing to the. operators of descending cars that the passengers upon these floors vishto descend. The puslnbuttonsl) F are used by passengers upon these same respectivefloors for indicating that they wish to ascend. 'lhe precise manner in which the signal is given by apassenger to the operator of't-he car, and a v ce verse, is hereinafter described in detail.

I do not limit myself to the particular arrangement of the v; iring shown nor to the exact pu1' oses elsewhere stated for the use of my system, as the saine'may be changed within reasonable limits Without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

- The automatic switchbo ards A-andB may be located either at the top or the'bottom of the elevator shafts; but in the present instance they are shown. as at the top thereof. A cross-beam 10 is provided with a hearing 11 carrying a revoluble head 12, supporting a sheave 13. Over this sheave a cable14= passes in the usual manner to the movable Connected with the revoluble head 12, by means of a shaft inclosed within the bearing 11, is a revoluble disk 15, provided With a radially-disposed boss 16'. Mounted upon the beam 10 is a board 17, and secured rigidly to this boardis a bearing-bracket 18. Supported upon this bearing-bracket is a panel '19, of insulating material, constituting the framework of one of the switchboards, such as A. Passingloosely through the cenrigidly upon the slur-t 2G is a star-wheel 23.

A rocking lever 24 is journaled upon a pivotpin the latter entering a bead 26 of arouof metal and. insulated from the rocking lever thereto When the boss 33 or 34 is tree to nocircle.

and

with oressureolntes 27 inzide ")rel'crztblv L J l larly in Figq't.) liluch push-bution is prothe pressure plate 28, shown in Fig. t.

metallic dis circles, as indicated in l and 2.

r e 523 {he ate form, (see Fig. 1,) and allowing the 1" oking bOQJllQi to move radially withincertuin limits upon the pin 25, as indicated in Figs. "lhis rocking lever 24 of a. general ends erouiite form and is provided upon 1*" by means of disks 2-9, of insulating inst rial, :is indicated more particularly in h t. Sunken Within each panel it) and covered by a plate 1%), ol' insulating materiel, are two puslnbuttons 3O 30. (Shown more particuvided with. a spiral spring 31 and n plunger 32, against which the spring con tantly resses. '1 1e lun 'ers SfZternnnQte in bosses 33 34. By moving the rocking lever 24: into one or the other of its extreme positions'the boss or the boss 34, as the case may he, is pushed inwardly by the pressure-plntc 27 or Each. boss in encircled by a ring 35, of insulating material, this ring being carried by an annular disk 36 or .37 of metal. Each annulzir disk 37 is engaged directly by the spring-plunger IfZ iinn'iedia'telv adj-scent crude through the ring; 35. When one of the disks 36 37 is thus'in cont. set with its pl Linger, the other disk is disengaged from its plui'zgelx. By this means only one of the disks 56 37 can at a. particular moment he in @lGOL't'lCZLl coni lion with its plunger and with its purhinding-post 38 or 39, as will be unstood from liig. v

Mounted upon each panel 19 a e two contact-strips 40 4-] dis )osed coneentricnliy and each having substantially the form of" a semi- Two scmqicirculm rows of push-bub tons 42 tii nre einbe lded within the panels, res ectivel v,- the push-Mittens of the inner row being;provided With protruding hot 5 a -ila'lld those of the outer row with protruding bosses 43. These push-buttons tire of the construction abovedescribed, with the exception that the :o: :inuous semicircular contact-stri s: 40 4,1 are substituted l'o'r the {S 36 2?. Stationnrv contactrods t t -15 are dispcsed in concentric semilln the switchboard B Wires 16 4?. respe-- tiieijt', conurct t e outer m: l inner contact-- strips 4'1 10 with. the nicigdlic 4 Similarly in tile switchboard A a wire -18 cor.- nects the outer contact-strip 41 with'thc disk. 37 and a wire it) connects the inner contactstrip lil with the disk 25H.

A l uttcr is shown at St), and trout this battery ('1 Wire .ilv lczlds upwardly t lll'tllltl' l the several floors tor which theclei'etor is pro 'idcd. Branching olllroni the wire 51 cut the (llll ei'klli floors are wires 52. and connect ed with the letter upon each iloor il't wires and Zi-i. Wires .331 HT coufrom the case (3 s nested with contact n cmocrs 5.3 Pr me tric-nl coinniunieetion with each other. Erica-i E, and F is pro--- Nires 58 oi the push-buttons C, D, E, and-F is further provided with a case 62 Mounted within this case are thesiwerel pairs ot COlliLZLOl/l" nlers 55 57 and 56 59, r-Jhich ere p'voted, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, and are pressed upon by lent-springs 57. Within thecases 62 are solenoids 63 64, connected by a wire 66 with the wire 52" by means for junction lfisch solenoid has a movable core 68,

Di). men which the rridge-contnct nlein er mounted. Bosses 6t), 7t), 7], or 72. are cohnected rigidly with each core (58 and protrude as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. By pressing upon the boss the iron core 68 is moved relatively to the solenoid 63 and the contact-bridge (it is brought into engagement with the contact nieinbers-say 55 57-50 {LS to connectthe two together. From Lil the solenoid tj-t ol the push-button n WHG 73 leads upwardly and is connected with two wires J t 75, leading, respectively, to the switchboards A B and conuectei'l'u'ith the appropriateco1itnct-rods 14, representing the fourth lloor, and hence placed fourth from the left-intuit ends oi the respective semicircular contact-strips 40.- Similarly from the solenoid (S3 oi the pusli-l' utto11 l) :1 wire 76 leads ui'm'nrdly and is connected with wires 77 78, which lead to the particular contact-rods 45, represeiiting the Hour in question. .lf TOEll the solenoid t'rt in the pir-hdnit- Lon l) a wire 7%) is connected with wires 8t! 8 l, which lead to the dill'erent swi'tchl ozu'ds A and B and there connect ii'itlt'thc lil'tli pushbutton ilrl' representing; the tilth lloor. ,l rozu tlie.solenoid 63 of the "wish-button l uv wire 52 leads upwardly (ind connects \,'it h the 1% t -l. which tel-minute in the i tact-rods .45 ol the outer semicircle.

A wire ends to two incmnlcscent liunps and the lamp NT icing; disposed in the el tor-shalt. 'lhe lsunp St) is for useol the pussen g'crs. whereas the temp .47 is to attract the ittcniiou ol' the ur operator. These two amps are in parallel wit it each other and conicctcd to 21 wire FIN, which leads tothe ich ourd i. icrminiit ii 5 in the litth push liuttoii ol' the contact-strip'l-l {and thcrcl'ore l(|)l'(. tiilllf ilxc lii'ih iloor upouwhich the pushuttou l loczitcdI i will we understood that the several successive pushunions ol the contuct strips 1G and 41 represent the sever; l successive,lloors in the order in which they appear to a. person going upward in alcar. This arrangementis due to the fact that it is desirable to have a passenger press one of the upper push-buttons D F if he wishes to ascend or to'press one'of the 'lower'pushbuttonsO E if he wishes to descend] A wire 89 is. connected with thewire in the push-button E and with lamps 90 91111 parallel with each other, as above described, these lamps being connected with-a wire'92,,

which leads tothefii'th successive push-button, (reckoning from theleft ofthe-semicin' cle,.) represented by a boss" 42 'uponthe'lo'wer contactstrip 40 of the switchboard A. From thewire 58 (fifth fioor)'.a wire 93 connects with incandescent lamps 94 95, the lamp94 I being disposed in the hall for theobservation of passengers and-the lamp 95 being in the shaft for the observation of theoperator of -'-'the elevator car. A wire 96 (fifth floor) is connected'with these la'mps and leads upwardly to the switehboardB and to the-fifth. push-button upon the contact-strip 40, rep, resenting the particular floor upon whichthe v push-button F is located. Similarly a w-ire'97 is connected with lamps 98 99, the lamps being. joined by a wire 100, which leads upwardly to thefifthpusl -button of the contact-strip, 40. A wire 101 .(fourth floor) is connected with lamps 102 103, the'latter communicat' ing by a wire 104 with the fourth push-but:- ton-of the lower contact-strip lamps being connected by a wire'108-with the fourth push-button upon-the lower 'contact-strip 40, the push button in question'ofcourse representing the fourth floor. A wire 109 is connected with the lamps 110 111, the

lamps being'in communication,v by means of strip 40.

a wire 112, with the fourth push-button of,

A wire 113 is connectthe contact-strip 41. edwith lamps 1 14 115, and bymeans of a wire 116 thelamps are in communication'with the fourth push-button 42 In the switchboard B thebosses 133 34 connected by wires 118-117 .with'a wire -119,

which taps onto thereturn-wire 120, which leads to the battery 50. Similar'wires 12,1, 122 connect the bosses'33 34 with ajwir'e123,

which also taps onto the return-wire A spider 124 is mounted rigidly upon the rocknig shaft 20 and 1s revoluble'therewith. Thisspider 1s pi-OVldGdVflth a semicircular sector 125, the latterbeing provided onits ui'ider face with a sector 125, of insulating material, adapted to successively push the bosses 43 as the spider'124 is turned upon/its Another sector 126, also semicircular in form, but smaller than the sector 125, is disposed oppositely to the sector last mentioned, as incheated in Figs. 1 and 3. -Tl11S sector 126% likewise provided with cushion or'taee 26, of msulatmg material, which is adapted to depress the several bosses 42 in succession as 41 '.A wire 105.communicates with lamps 106-107, the,

upon. the contactthe s ider is turned in the proper direction, as

will e understood fromFig; 4.

With the parts in the position'indicated by- Fig. 2 (the elevatorfbeing about to startup-.

ward) the spider is about to begin a half-revolution-in a clockwise direction; In Fig.

(representing the position of tl're parts when the elevator isat the-top andabout to start down) the spiderLis-about to turn a half revolution in a contra-clockwise; direction. j,

VVhenthe spider turns in a clockwise diree tion," the several bosses 43 are pushed inward;

, in successiombeginnmg at the left and-end -i 1 1g" at}the right. ,While this. is occurring tl1e' same clockwise movement of the'spider causesf the bosses 42 to be rel'eased O'I16' :1 t a time, beginning atthe left and'ending'at the right1-' that is to say, during the clockwiseinove mentjust mentioned the bosses 43 are re.

several contaots'represented by the bosses'43" .are'all closed. and those represented bythe bosses 42'are all opened; .butasscenes the spider begins; toxturn in the clockwise dis rection, representing the] begmmngof the ascent-of the elevator from the bottom. of the shaft, tlieiseveral' contacts? represented by the bosses 43=are opened successively, the

contactsrepresentedby the bosses 42 being closed success vely and, in the-same-forder; Then, therefore, the elevator reaches the top "and the spider completes its half-revolution,

so as to occupy the position in Fig. 3,:ffall :of

the contacts represented byfbossesi 42 are closed and all those represented by bosses 43-are opened: When the. elevator is at the bottom of theshaft andthe rocker" 24' o'ccu pies. the position-shown-in Fig. 2, the contact represented the boss 34. is closed and the one represented by the" boss 3 3-.is' .open'.; VVhen, however, the elevatorreaches thetup of the shaft, as indicated in'Fig;.3, *tliejrockeii 24 assumes. a different position and the contact represented by the-boss 341fis open, while that represented .by the boss -'3s:;is c1esed,

The purpose of this arrangement is toenable the rocker 24 to control 1 two -"circuits, each provided'with' its parallel connections. ()ne of these circuits is used for lighting-lamps and periorming other. wo1'l wl1il'e the? lei; vator is a-scending., the other circuit be ngsimilarly provided for use while the elevator is descending,

, .l\1oi 1nte:i upon. the sector 12-5 lsacon'taet,

bridge l27 ,adapte-;i"to connect the'se'cjtor with "any one of the contact-rodsAfifast th-e contact-bridge 127 movesradially --a1 ."ou 'nd. A similar :contacebridgef 12S i"S.-mo u11td upon the; sector126' and is adapted-to con too.

log

of the bridge-contact members 127 128 is to.

complete momentary circuits for the purpose of restoring the push-buttons shown in Figs.

5 and 6 and located upon the respective going downward or else are at the top.

floors to. their respective normal posit-ion for use by passengers.

My device is used as follows Suppose that a passenger is upon the fifth floor (represented by the center of the sheet, Fig. 7) and wishes to ascend. There being more than one elevator he does not know which one traveling upward will be first to arrive. He presses the knob 71, this being the conventional signal. The armature 61 of this push-button is brought into engagement with contact members ,5? and serves as a bridge therebetween. If now no elevator is ascending or is at the bottom ready to ascend, the rocker 24 in any of the switchboards will be in proper positionto allow a circuit to be closed through the loss If. however, no elevator is ascending or about to ascend, (see Fig. 2,) the rocker 24 appertaining to that elevator in such a position as to leave the boss 34 protruding. and thus closing that part of the circuit. The passenger having pressed the button, as above indicated, looks at the lamp S6 to seeif it lights up. If it does not light up, he knows that all of the elevators are AS soon as, however, he sees the lamp 86 light up he knows that some one of the elevators has reached the bottom of its shaft and has started upward. If, as is genera ly the case, some one of the elevators is already ascending at the time when he presses the push-button F, the lamp 86 will light up instantly. \Vhen the.lamp 86 is lighted, the lamp 8?, being in parallel with it in practically the same circuit, is lighted also. The circuit is as follows:

, battery 50, wire 51, wire 52, wire 54, contact see Fig. 2,) wires 122 123 120 back to battery 50. This circuit energizes the lamps 86 87, as above explained. The lamps S6 S7 burn continuously until the elevator reaches the fifth floor. The operator, observing the light 87', stops his car and takes the passenger aboard: At the moment when this occurs the contact-bridge 127 is at the fifth boss 43, counting from the left, and depresses the boss in questionthat is, opens the circuit-above traced and darkens the lamps 86 87,101 the rea on that these lamps are no longer needed. The contact-bridge 127 now engages the conbridge 61 from the contact members 55 57,

and thus restores the knob 71 to its normal position. However, the circuit through lamps 86 87 is now broken and must remain broken until the knob 71 is pressed again. If a passenger is at the fourth floor and wishes to ascend, he presses the knob .69, lighting the lamps 102 103. When he is taken aboardthe car, the push-button is automatically restored to its normal position and the lamps 102 103 are extinguished. In other words, the action of the push-button D and of circuits relating thereto is quite analogous with the same effects stated in con nection with the push-button F.

If at the time when the passenger presses the button F, as above described, the elevator represented by the switchboard A is not ascending, but the one represented by the switchboard B is ascending or ready to as tend, the lighting-circuit will be complete follows: battery 50, wire 31, wire 52, wire 54, contact members 55 61,5? of push-button F. wire 58, wire 93, lamps 94 9.5, wire 96 to fiftl boss 43 of switchboard B, sector 41, wire 46, wire 117, wire 119, wire 120 back to' battery 50. "his will light the lamps 94 9:3

-instead of the lamps S6 87 and will apprise the passenger that the elevator he should take the one indicated by the lamps. Similarly when he boards the car the lamps 94 95 are darkened and the push-button F is restored to its normal condition. Similarly if there be other elevators they have their respective lamps, which are lighted and darkened as above described by circuits analogous to those already traced.

Suppose now that a passenger is on the fifth floor and wishes to descend. He presses the knob 72 of push-button E, thereby completing the following circuit: battery 50,. wire 51, wire 52, wire 53, contact members 56 61 59, wire 60, wire 89, lamps 90 91, wire 92 to switchboard A, fifth-boss 42, sector 40, wire 49,,boss 33, (and contact associated therewith,) wires 121 123, wire 120, back to battery 50. This causes the circuit to be completed through the lamps 90 91; provided the rocker 24 (see Fig. .3) is in such position that the contact represented by the boss 33 is closed; but not otherwise. Inother words, a passenger pressing knob 72 of push-button IIO the floor in question 1 that floor is at a H dot the lamps 95) i i the to the switchboard A is descending some point above the the top and ready to dehowever, some other elevator,

cash as represented by switchboard B, is

about to descend above the fifth flo lighted through the through the lamps 90 91.

therefore, to some is descending and is the lamps 98 99 are circuit analogous to that Each elevator, extent controls its own lamps, whichare independent of the lamps controlled by other ger is on the fourth. floor and presses thebutton nps 106 107 in case the elevator repre-v scend, .he the l descend.

aboard, and the cir broken in the manner Wit, the contact-bridge 1 by connecting the through the s Withdraw the lamp-circuit.

From the 'abo elevators. If the passen- Wishes to "de- G, thus lighting The elevator arriving at the passenger is taken t through the lamps is above describedsto 28 (see Figs. 2 and 3) act-rod 44 with the cui cont

sector 40 completes a momentary-circuit olenoid 64 and causes it to bridge 61, and thus break the ve description it will be seen a passenger W1 shing to ascend can hail any descending car which has not yet reached the'platform upon which he stands and-that in so doing the app I lights two lamps, but tinuously until the roach'of the car not only keeps them burmng concar arrives, no matter how much time this may require,

The system is econ reason that if a a,pushbutton of the lamps in omical of power, for the passenger presses in a knobof no current flows through any consequence until some one of the'elevators s upon the route which the passenger desires to travel.

While I show push-button contacts, it will be understood that contacts of many other kinds are old and well known in this art and thatl may substitute such other contacts inbe also understood tails of my. inventi stead of the push-button contacts. Itwill that I do not limit myself l to the exact constr uction shown, as the dcon may be varied within 1 l l l l v I l 5 wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus claim as new Patent -1. The combination of a plurality of contacts normally closed, electric lamps mounted upon dil'l'erent lloors and coiniected with said contacts rcspccth ely, mechanism controllable by -movements of a revoluble member for opening said contacts successively, so as to darken said lamps in a predetermined relative order corresponding to that ol the successive floors, and mechanism for opening a plurality of ing in a particular direction.

2. The combination of a revoluble member connected with the hoisting, mechanism of an elevator, said revoluble mcmberbeing provided with a boss, a star-wheel to be turned step 'by stepas said revoluble member is turned, a cam connected with said starwheel, a rocker disposed partially within the path of said cam so that said rocker is aitnated by movements of said cam, contacts'to be opened'and closed by movements of saidrocker, one of said contacts being opened whenever the other is closed, and separate circuits each connected with one of said contacts and controllable thereby for signaling the arrival of the elevator from a particular direction only.

3. In an electrical signal system, the combination of a plurality of contacts normally closed and representingdifferentfloors, mochanism'controllable by movements of an elevator for opening said contacts in a predeter- (lcsrl'ibcd my invention, 1 and desire to secure by Letters mined suc'cessiveforder representing the suc.

GERMAN, Louis Cor-1N1 

